Desktop device with adjustable flat screen display

ABSTRACT

A relatively small transportable desktop computer/workstation with a display panel assembly in combination with a microprocessor or controller is made display screen position adjustable, in inclination angle, azimuth angle and elevation translation movements. The workstation can have a pen or stylus touch screen input function added, so that a user operator can write, draw and sketch directly onto the screen in a natural manner. The workstation can be placed on top of a desk or table providing an ergonomic man-machine interface for information communications between individual users via a communications network. A keyboard, voice/speaker telephone, mouse or trackball input unit, and communications modem may be added to the workstation. The flat panel display, pen input device and microprocessor can be combined into an assembly, which can be removed from the main body for portable mobile computing operation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.09/850,505 filed May 7, 2001, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 09/510,955 filed Feb. 22, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No.6,326,955, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.08/937,258 filed Sep. 13, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,064,373, which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/288,882 filed Aug. 10,1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,570, which is a continuation-in-part ofU.S. application Ser. No. 08/084,811 filed Jun. 29, 1993, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to desktop or portable computers with flat paneldisplays. In particular it relates to personal computers that will lieon a desk or table, which a human operator will use to: (1) enterkeyboard data, pen or voice data/information; (2) view displayedinformation and/or (3) hear audio/voice information.

2. Background Art

Heretofore, portable computers with flat panel displays were embodied ina “clamshell” type design. When these prior art computers are ready foruse, the display panel is unfolded to a roughly vertical orientation.The attached keyboard and computer enclosure form the bottom half of theclamshell. For portable transport, the flat panel display is folded downover the keyboard and computer enclosure. This prior art configurationhas several shortcomings. First, since the unit sits on a desk or table,the screen is always at a lower elevation than the eye level of theperson sitting and operating the computer. Thus the person mustcontinually look down to the display. Over long periods of time, thiswill cause neck and back strain on the user. Secondly, if a pen/stylusinput means is added to the display screen, the roughly verticaloperating orientation is inconvenient and ergonomically incorrect whenthe user is handwriting or sketching. If the user tries to hold his/herarm up to write on a vertical screen, the user's arm will tire. Overlong periods of writing on a vertical screen, this awkward position willcause strain on one's wrist. Even if the user is willing to hold his/herhand up to write on the vertical screen, it may not be physically securefor the user's hand pressure. Thirdly, the prior art clamshell designdoes not provide elevation adjustment or azimuth angle adjustment means.This restricts the ergonomic usability of the prior art computer anddisplay units.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,092 of Makita discloses a portabletypewriter and display unit. However, a single pair of pivoting armsconnect the display unit to the main body. When its display unit israised to its highest elevation, the distance from the user's eyes tothe display screen is large. Therefore, middle aged users who are nearsighted, will have difficulty in viewing the screen. No pen/stylus inputmean is disclosed, but even if one is added, the display unit would notprovide a physically secure writing surface. The Makita does not providea means of placing equal and opposite restraining force onto the displayunit. U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,434 of Lake discloses a tiltable displayterminal, but no display unit elevation adjustment is taught. Again nopen input means is disclosed, and if one is added, the unit would not bephysically stable for normal hand/arm forces applied by the user. U.S.Pat. No. 5,115,374 of Hongoh teaches a laptop portable computer with afacsimile function. Hongoh discloses a touch panel screen, but no peninput means, and no vertical elevation adjustment of its display unit istaught. In order to provide a horizontal display orientation, thedisplay unit must be detached from the main body and set back, inreverse orientation, to the connector sockets on the main body, which isa severe disadvantage.

Several prior art pen computer units exit. However, their displayscreens are fixed to their enclosure to form a flat tablet. They aredesigned for the mobile user market. This limits their use for desktoppen/stylus computing environments. No prior art has solved the problemof a personal computer for the office environment, capable of standardcomputing, pen computing, and voice telephone communications.

The invention disclosed herein solves the above problems by providing anergonomic designed desktop system that is capable of several importantcomputer and communications functions. It provides a display panelassembly, pen/stylus input unit, multiple support arms, and a main unitin a roughly wedge shape. The display panel assembly can be adjusted ininclination angle, azimuth angle and elevation. Thus invention overcomesthe problems of the prior art. For example, the display panel of theinvention can be easily adjusted by hand in elevation to a heightroughly of the user's eye level. The user does not have to look down tosee the screen when in normal PC-keyboard operation. If the unit is usedas a pen/stylus computer, the display panel can be folded by hand to aphysically secure position, at an inclination angle that isergonomically correct for handwriting and sketching. Finally, thedisplay screen can be physically adjusted in many orientationcombinations, including azimuth angles, inclination angles and elevationtranslations. Thus the invention can be used in a wide range on officedesktop positions and by a wide range of users and orientations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disclosed invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art byproviding display screen adjusting means for desktop computers andterminals, such that the entire apparatus is sufficiently small to beportable or transportable. The invention disclosed herein provides aneasy to use desktop workstation, to which the human user can adjust itsscreen for many screen positions. In addition, the workstation can folddown for transport. The workstation may also include externalcommunication means such as voice/data modem and/or telephone means.

Accordingly an object of the invention is to provide small compactworkstation for the office, having an array of useful functions andcapabilities at the finger tips of the human user sitting at his/herdesk. Functions may include pen/stylus input means, computer means,display device(s), mass memory devices, keyboard, mouse, speaker phone,network interface and modem.

Another object of the invention is to give the user a voice and datacommunications capability at the desktop, capable of standardtext/graphics computing, as well as voice/video/pen communication toother individuals or computers, via modem or network (LAN/WAN)interfaces.

Still another object of invention is to provide the user with anergonomic workstation that can be adjusted to a wide range of positionsand orientations, such that there will be a reduction or elimination ofbody stress and fatigue by the user, over long periods of use.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a modular desktopworkstation such that the user can configure the workstation to howhe/she works, or to their choice at a particular time. For example, theuser will have the choice of using a detached keyboard, pen/stylusinput, mouse, trackball, handset telephone, or speaker telephone,depending on his/her wishes for accomplishing a particular task.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a unit that is smalland light enough for the user to easily transport it to other locations.Other objects of the invention will become evident by reading thefollowing invention descriptions and inspection of the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a side view of the desktop workstation with the display panelassembly oriented vertically and somewhat raised from its lowestposition.

FIG. 1B is a side view of the desktop with the display panel assemblyfolded to its lowest inclined position, with a stylus/pen input means.

FIG. 2 is exploded perspective view of the desktop workstation with atelephoto means placed on one side.

FIG. 3 is a general block diagram of the electrical elements of theinvention.

FIG. 4 is a general flow diagram of the software that may execute on theworkstation's digital computing means.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a display monitor associated apparatus.

FIGS. 6A & 6B are front views of display monitors with two differentscreen roll angles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

The invention can be described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B shows adesktop workstation from the side in two different display screenorientations and modes of operation. The term desktop workstation isdefined to be an interactive man-machine or man-computer interface, inwhich a human being can enter and view data/information. The workstationor interface may or may not include a digital computer. A display panelassembly 2 is attached to a support structure 4 via a hinge pin 5. Thesupport structure 4 is connected to a support arm 12 via a first hinge14. The display panel assembly 2 includes a relatively thin displaydevice further defining a viewing screen. Examples of the possibledisplay technologies are Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD),electro-luminescent, plasma panel, and field emission displays. They maybe monochrome or color, and they could be light modulator or lightemitter types of displays. LCD's are most commercially available flatpanel display devices, available in a wide variety of sizes, shapes,resolutions and other characteristics.

Typical of these LCD's is the Sharp Electronics Corporation's LM64P90and LM64K90 monochrome LCD's. They have a 640×480 display pixel format,a viewing area of 196×148 mm, a dot pitch of 0.30×0.03 mm, and coldcathode fluorescent backlight. The former has 150 ms rise plus fallresponse time, a transmissive viewing mode, 50 Nits brightness, and 13:1contrast ratio. The latter has a 250 ms rise plus fall response time, atransflective viewing mode, 35 Nits brightness, and 10:1 contrast ratio.For many applications, color LCD's are required. Sharp Electronics Corp.makes several direct-view color Thin Film Transistor (TFT) LCD modules.Typical specifications for their LQ10DH11 product are a 640(×3)×480display pixel format, 211×158 mm viewing area, a 0.33(0.11×3)×0.33 mmdot pitch, a hot cathode fluorescent backlight.

The display panel assembly 2 is free to rotate through large inclinationangles (at least 90 degrees), represented by rotation A, about the hingeaxis of hinge 14. Support arms 12 and 8 in turn connect the displaypanel to the workstation at main unit 6. The main unit may include anenclosure or housing for control electronics including a digitalcomputer, microprocessor or other control. The display panel assembly 2may be electrically connected to electronics located in the main unit 6,via an electrical cable routed inside the support structure 4 andsupport arms 12 and 8, or via a cable routed externally to the mainunit. The size of main unit 6 should be small, so as to not present alarge “foot print” on the desk or table. The unit should be easilycarried by one person. The invention may powered by light weightbatteries or it may be an AC powered workstation.

The support arm 8 is attached to support arm 12 by a hinge 16, such thatthe latter arm can be rotated though rotation C about the axis of thehinge 16, as shown in FIG. 1A. Support arm 8 is attached to the mainunit 6 by hinge 20, such that the arm can rotate though large angles asshown in rotation B about the axis of the hinge means. Thus the abovemechanical elements can work in combination, and the user can adjust theorientation of the display panel assembly 2 in both inclination angleand elevation. The friction of each hinge is such that the user canadjust the orientation by hand, and its position is either self-lockingor can adjusted to lock in position. The lengths of the support arms 8and 12 should be selected to provide the desired display screenelevation and forward viewing positions. Many different combinations oflengths may be embodied.

Several methods can be implemented to give the user to capability toadjust the screen in azimuth angle. One technique is to rotationallyattach the display panel assembly 2 to a support structure 4 via acylindrical hinge pin 5, so that the display can rotate through azimuthangles. The hinge pin 5 can be made hollow so that electrical conductorscan be routed through it to the support structure 4. Another methodwould be to place the main unit on stationary base structure via alazy-susan structure. Rubber feet may be placed under the main unit, asshown in the figure. The weight of the display panel assembly 2 shouldbe as low as possible, and the mass of the main unit and its electronicsshould be large enough so that if the display assembly is adjusted inthe extreme forward position, the unit will remain physically andgravitationally stable. A computer keyboard unit 7 is shown connected tothe main unit 6 via an electrical cable 9. The computer keyboard unit 7may be attached or detached. If it is a detached keyboard, theelectrical signals may be transmitted to the computer via wires orelectromagnetic radiation means.

FIG. 1B shows the workstation of in FIG. 1A, except the display panel isfolded down to its lowest inclined position and a stylus input 22 isincluded. The stylus input is defined to be a stylus or pen positionencoding device that encodes, in two or three dimensions, the positionof a hand-held stylus, as the user moves it over an active areacorresponding to the display screen. The screen of the display panel isfacing upward and at a convenient inclined angle for user hand writing,drawing and sketching with the stylus or pen. An electrical wire/cable23 may be used to connect the pen/stylus to the control electronics inthe main unit. A natural inclined angle of the screen for stylus/pendata input is roughly 30 degrees from the horizontal. However, thedisplay panel assembly may be locked into position at a multiplicity oforientations.

Another embodiment is shown in FIG. 2, which presents a perspective viewof another embodiment of the invention, where several elements are shownin exploded view, for clarity. A display panel assembly 2 including itsdisplay screen 3 is rotationally connected to the support structure 4via the cylindrical hinge pin 5. The display panel assembly is then freeto rotate through wide azimuth angles D as shown. The support structure4 is connected to support arm pairs 12A and 12B via hinges 14A and 14B.The cylindrical shafts of hinges 14A and 14B, which may be threaded, fitin the round holes of the support arm pairs 12A and 12B. Support armpair 8A and 8B is attached to the previous arm pair at hinge elements16A, 16B and 16C, where element 16B is a long shaft, the ends of whichmay be threaded. The other ends of support arm pair 8A and 8B areattached to the main unit 6 via hinges 20A and 20B. The friction of eachhinge means may be adjusted by a threaded shaft or screw 19 and astandard nut 17 or a finger tightened nut/knob 17A. The friction shouldbe sufficient to support the display panel assembly under thegravitational and normal hand writing/sketching forces.

As shown in FIG. 2, a telephone unit may be added or integrated into thedesktop workstation. A telephone handset 26 and cord 32 may locatedeither side of the workstation. A telephone keypad 28 should be placedin a convenient location of the user. For a hands-free telephoneoperation, a microphone 30 and speaker 36 may be included. The telephoneunit may be attached or detached from the main unit. The telephone mayfunction during workstation operation and/or independently of theworkstation operation. A computer keyboard, mouse or trackball devicesmay be included, in addition to the stylus/pen input means. All controlsshould be designed to be simple and easy to use.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the basic electrical elements of thecomputer workstation. The pen/stylus input electronics 22 can beinterfaced directly to flat panel display device electronics 38.Examples of available products that have combined these functions arethe Super-K™ display tablet from SuperScript Inc., Video Tablet fromKurta© Corporation, and the PL-100 Integrated Tablet for WacomTechnology Corp. Typically, these products are connected to a controllercard in the computer's I/O bus, via a cable. Specifications for suchdisplay-tablet include: active area 7.56 by 5.67 inches, accuracy±0.02inch, resolution 1016 PPI, data transfer rate 270 coordinate pairs/sec.,pen slew rate up to 135 IPS without significant distortion, andstylus/pen weight 15 grams.

As shown in the figure the flat panel display is electrically connectedto the workstation microcomputer/controller 44. The microcomputer may beany one of several commercially available products, such as the Intel™86286, 86386 or 86486 processors, Motorola Corporation's 68030 or 68040processors, as well as several others. If the workstation is to bebattery powered, then low voltage (3V) low-power microprocessors shouldbe used. The microcomputer/controller 44 may be embodied by severalmeans.

One available microcomputer system that may be used, is the Moby Brickproduct manufactured by Ergo Computing of Peabody, Mass. The Moby Brickproduct consists of a 386/486 CPU, with 4 to 32 MB RAM, hard disks from170 MB to 1 GB, built in video controller, a 3.5 inch 1.44 MB floppydrive, two serial ports, one parallel port and one ISA 16 bit halflength card slot. All the above is built into a 7.9×11.3×3.3 inch modulethat weighs 8.7 lbs. The CPU required by the invention may be a 20 MHZ386SX, 33/40 MHz 386DX, or the 33 MHz 486DX. Either internal or externalmodems may be embodied in to the system. An optional expansion chassismay be added to the system with four slots for ISA cards.

FIG. 4 shows a general flow diagram of typical stored program softwarethat may execute in the microcomputer or processor 44. Many commercialavailable operating systems, window environment and application softwareare available to run in the microcomputer. Typical operating systemsthat could be used include Microsoft Corporation's MS-DOS™, IBM's OS/2™,Go Corporation's Pen Point or various companies' UNIX products. Possiblewindowing environments include Microsoft's Windows™ 3.x and Windows forPen™, Hewlett-Packard's New Wave™, or X-Windows from various companies.Software may be pen centric like Pen Point™ software or it may be justpen/mouse aware. As shown in FIG. 4, after a standard power up and thesystem diagnostics and checkout is completed the operating system isloaded. Depending on the desired configuration a number of devicedriver, TSR's, communication programs and pen/stylus control programsmay be loaded. The workstation should be capable of either runningwindows or non-windows environments.

The microcomputer/controller 44 of FIG. 3 includes associated supportelectronics, I/O devices and power supply. All the above should becompact in size, so that the size of the overall desktop workstation isas small as practical. The advantage of small size is that it provides asmallest footprint of the desk. This is important in officeenvironments, where desk space is at a premium. The main unit'sfootprint dimensions, on the desktop, could be in the range of 15 by 13inches, depending of the size of the screen and whether of telephonehandset is included.

The keyboard function 42 may be electrically connected to themicrocomputer/controller 44. A standard mouse/trackball unit 46 may beconnected to the microcomputer via an I/O card or serial port in thestandard manner. Both the pen and mouse/trackball interfaces may bedesirable in certain applications. An external communication means 47 isconnected to the microprocessor. The communications means could beembodied by a communications I/O card, internal/external modem or othercommunication means. However embodied, the workstation shall have thecapability to communicate data (text, graphics, video, and voice)interactively on either Wide Area Networks (WAN) 50 or Local AreaNetworks (LAN) 52. The WAN in its simplest form consist of twoworkstations connected to each other via internal/external modems overstandard or hi-speed telephone lines.

Either an external or internal (built-in) telephone/speaker phone 48 maybe connected to the microprocessor/controller. It may integrated intothe workstation or embodied as a stand alone device, depending on theuser's requirements. The telephone/speaker phone may also be connectedto ordinary telephones lines 54 or wireless/cellular networks 56. Theprimary purpose of the external communication means of the workstationis to provide two way interactive text, graphics (including pen/stylus),video and voice/audio communication to: (1) other users operatingsimilar workstations (at the same time or unattended), and/or (2) one ormore computers network of computers or terminals. Other standardcomputing and communication components may be added to the inventionthat are obvious to those skilled in the art.

In another embodiment, the microprocessor and support electronics 44 canbe located at the display panel assembly 2, instead of the main unit 6.For example, they may be located on one or more printed circuit boardssurrounding and behind the display screen. Such an implementation withbattery power is well known to those skilled in the art. Prior art flatdisplay devices have been combined with a microcomputer, battery pack,and associated electronics and placed inside the relatively thin displaypanel enclosures. This has been accomplished in several pocketcomputers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDA), and hand held tabletcomputers. For example, battery embodiments have been placed inside theIBM ThinkPad™ 710T, Apple Computer Corporation's Newton™, Grid System'sConvertible™ 2260, and Dauphin Technology's DTR-1 computers, to name afew. In order to accomplish the above, developers typically implementthe required electrical circuits via semi-conductor large scaleintegration (LSI) techniques. This usually results in microcomputer,main memory, I/O, display drive and other support circuitry integratedinto the circuit boards. The microprocessors that could be embodied mustbe low-voltage and low-current draw versions, such as Intel™ 386/486SLmodels.

A rechargeable battery pack and power management circuitry should beincluded in the assembly. The battery pack may be removable via a sloton the side of the display panel assembly 2. The main battery packtypically consists of NiCd or newer Nickel Hydride type batteries. Abackup battery may also be embodied. The mass memory components, ofthese hand held display panel assemblies, may consist of a smallmagnetic 2.5 or 3.5 inch disk hard drives or semiconductor Flash Memorymodules. Mass memory of at least 80 MBytes are typically required. Ifremovable, the battery pack and flash memory modules should conform tothe PCMCIA Standards. These standards are important forinterchangeability among different manufactures. Because of the highlevel of LSI accomplished today, relatively thin, 1-2 inch thick,display panel assemblies can be realized containing a flat paneldisplay, drive circuitry, microcomputer card, support circuitry andbattery pack, within a light weight enclosure. The display panel andcomputer assembly can then be removed from the support structure 4 andhinge pin 5, as shown in FIG. 1A by a typical removal direction E. Thiscan be accomplished by a simple plug and socket arrangement at thebottom of the display panel assembly. An advantage of thisimplementation is that two modes of user operation are then possible.One is the desktop operation as described above. The other is a portablemobile display-tablet operation. The user has the option to remove thedisplay-computer unit from the socket, and use it as a notebook computeror display-tablet.

FIG. 5 shows an alternate embodiment of the desktop workstation systemconsisting primarily of a base unit 6A, display panel assembly 2,pen/stylus input means 22, keyboard unit 7, a telephone base unit 6B anda telephone handset 26. The computer or workstation is designed fordesktop computing and data communications for typical office, home orfactory use. All the major functions for computing, communications, andconferencing are made available to user in this desktop arrangement. Thebase unit 6A, which is similar to the main unit of FIGS. 1 and 2, isembodied as a somewhat smaller wedge shape enclosure, which does nottake up much desk space and provides an inclined position for pen input.The telephone base unit 6B and keyboard unit 7 are shown here asseparate units, so that they can be pushed aside to make room on thedesktop. Electrical cables 58 and 9 connect the handset and keyboard tothe base unit 6A where most of the computer and electronic componentsare located. The stylus/pen 22 is connected to the computer in the baseunit via an electrical cable 23.

The display panel assembly 2 is physically connected to the base unit 6Avia a pivot support structure 4 and an actuator assist means 8. Thisconnection is shown in an exploded view in the figure. The pivot supportstructure 4 may be embodied in many ways, such as a ball and socketjoint arrangement. Thus, the display panel assembly 2 with its displayscreen 3, is position adjustable in a multiplicity of orientations. ACartesian coordinate system diagram, defining the axes for translationsand rotations, is shown in the figure. The panel can be rotated inInclination angle I, Azimuth angle D, and Roll angle R. Further positionadjustment means are added, to provide elevation adjustment along axisy, as shown in double arrow B.

The display panel assembly 2 may be electrically connected to theelectronics in the base unit by running a cable through the hinge pin 5and through the actuator assist means 60 attached to the hinge pin.Sufficient slack in the cable must be provided for the full height ofthe adjustment range. A slack take-up means should be provided, so thatwhen the panel is in its lower elevation positions, the cable does notbind. The vertical force of actuator assist means should be roughlyequal to the weight of the display panel assembly 2. The actuator assistmeans 60 could be embodied by several alternative devices, including anair spring, a mechanical spring, pneumatic, hydraulic, orelectromechanical actuator means. One or more actuators could beincluded. A means for locking and unlocking the actuator position shouldbe provided within the assist means 60. Such actuators and lockingmechanisms are well known to those in the art.

Even though flat panel display assemblies typically weigh only a fewounces, there are several reasons why an actuator assist means may bedesirable. If an actuator is not implemented, and the user desires toraise the panel vertically by hand, the user would have to grab one edgeof the panel and pull up. If the base unit is not secured to the tableor it is not sufficiently heavy, the entire unit may lift off the table.The user would have to place one hand on the base unit and the other onthe display panel and pull. Both of the above user actions areundesirable. Using two hands for a simple position adjustment, takesmore time to accomplish, and the user may lose his/her's concentrationduring a computing task. Making the base unit heavy enough so that itsweight is larger than the force applied by one's hand is alsoundesirable. Therefore, a telescoping actuator means 60 should beembodied with a force roughly equivalent to the weight of the displayassembly 2, so that the user can easily adjust the position of thedisplay panel by hand. The actuator means may include a locking andunlocking means for temporarily holding the display assembly in thedesired position.

An alternate embodiment is shown is FIGS. 6A and 6B, showing front viewsof a desktop unit with a pivot support structure 4 attached to thedisplay panel assembly 2, as well as other components. The pivot supportstructure 4 may comprise an L-shaped support member 4C, such that thedisplay panel, when supported near the front of the base unit 6A can berotated about the z-axis (shown in FIG. 5) and miss the front edge ofthe base. The L-shaped member 4C, as shown is FIGS. 6A and 6B, isforeshortened (i.e., one side of the L is pointing out of the paper).FIG. 6B shows a front view of the display panel, where the panel isrotated 90 degrees to the typical portrait display orientation. Alocking and unlocking part 4A can be a hand knob for applying a force toa hinge means. In this embodiment, the locking knob is facing forward,toward the front of the desktop unit. Other locking/unlocking knobpositions are possible. A support post 5A is fixed to the actuatorassist means 60 at one end and is attached to the pivot supportstructure 4 at the other. The assist actuator means 60 may consist ofseveral telescoping arm and post members, in order to provide forgreater elevation travel. The actuator means should be capable ofcollapsing into a unit with relatively small height dimension. Thislater feature is important because the height dimension of front portionbase unit is relatively small. As above, the support post 5A can behollow to allow the electrical cable to be routed through it. Anadvantage of the FIGS. 6A and 6B embodiment is that it provides for bothlandscape and portrait screen orientations in the same desktop unit,which the user can easily change by hand.

The embodiments of FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 results in a relatively integrateddesktop computer and telecommunication system, designed to used by aperson at his/her desk. The system is designed to replace the user'sexisting telephone and desktop computer, with a general purposeintegrated telephony and computing system. A unique aspect of thisinvention is that the wedge shaped base unit 6A, telephone handsetenclosure 6B and the keyboard unit 7 are made to be small separateunits, but the display panel assembly 2 can be quite large. Thetelephone handset and enclosure combination can slide under the displaypanel assembly, to save desktop space. This embodiment allows the userto move these separate units out of the way when not in use, and pulledinto position, when required.

The scope of the invention disclosed here should be determined by theappended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examplesgiven above.

While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described,it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe allpossible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in thespecification are words of description rather than limitation, and it isunderstood that various changes may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

1. A flat panel computer monitor, comprising: a flat panel displayassembly including an LCD display screen, and associated microprocessorand support electronics for the LCD display screen; a base that isadapted to be placed on a desk top, wherein the base does not house theassociated microprocessor and support electronics for the LCD displayscreen; a support post assembly affixed to the base at a first end; anda hinge attached to the support post assembly at a second end, the hingealso being attached to the flat panel display assembly, the flat paneldisplay assembly being selectively positioned in a range of inclinationangles relative to the base to accommodate user preference and held in aselected position by the friction of the hinge; wherein the support postassembly includes telescoping actuator assist means for elevationposition adjustment to accommodate user height preference of the flatpanel display assembly relative to the base and provide an upward forceupon the flat panel display assembly to assist the user in adjusting theposition of the flat panel display assembly.
 2. The support stand ofclaim 1, wherein the hinge has a pivot pin without a spring.
 3. Thesupport stand of claim 1, wherein the flat panel display pivots betweena portrait and a landscape orientation on the hinge without contactingthe base.
 4. The support stand of claim 1, wherein the support postincludes a telescoping actuator assist mechanism that provides forelevation travel of the flat panel display assembly relative to thebase.
 5. The support stand of claim 1, further comprising a hand knobthat applies a force to a springless hinge for selectively locking andunlocking the springless hinge.